A Stalwart in Politics and Literature

EDITED BY:EMRAN MAHFUZ

REVIEWED BY SUPRITI SARKAR

ABUL Mansur Ahmed was born in Mymensingh in the year 1898. Primarily known as a Bangladeshi litterateur, he was also a politician and journalist. He passed his Matriculation and Intermediate examination in the time when the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation movements were gaining momentum and attracting the educated Muslim class. It comes as no surprise that he partook in these movements. He acquired his college degree in Law from the Ripon College in Kolkata and practiced for nine years in his hometown. He later moved to Kolkata where he worked as a professional journalist and political activist until the partition in 1947.

Abul Mansur Ahmed was a philosopher who utilized satirical vocabulary when it came to discussing politics and injustice. He used his knowledge of journalism, advocacy and politics to interact with people from different walks of life, closely. This allowed him to draw conclusions and write about how the Muslim community was still in the dark exploiting religion for their own benefit. Although the literature could be considered humorous to many, it reflected a deep pain, which is hard not to notice and touches the readers' hearts.

The book, "Abul Mansur Ahmed Sharakgrontho" covers different perspectives of well known writers on the different topics that Abul Mansur Ahmed wrote about such as Literature, Journalism, Politics, Intellectual Discussion, Lifestyle and many more.  Noted writers include, Mohamad Moniruzzaman,  Rafiqul Islam,  Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, Ashiq Reza, Selina Hossain and many more. Professor Sirajul Islam Chowdhury describes the qualities and characteristics of Abul Mansur's writings as intense and politically charged in his writing, "Je khaane Abul Mansur Ahmed Swatatanra". He says that for Ahmed writing about politics was not just a talent but his forte as well. In comparison to other contemporary writers of Ahmed's time, many were politically aware of their surroundings, but none had the ability to grasp the reality and translate it as articulately as he did.

In respect to Journnalism, S.M.Ali in his article, "Ekjon Sampadak Ke Shradhhanjali" he says that words would never be enough to describe how talented Ahmed was. Through his work Abul Mansur Ahmed was not just a social worker but also an intellectual, political leader and author. From a journalistic perspective, Abul Mansur Ahmed contributed a lot as a journalist and even more so as an Editor to his country. Chanchal Bose in his writing, "Durlov Ei Alo" states that in this day and age it is hard to even imagine, let alone have another individual be compared to Abul Mansur Ahmed and the contributions that he has left behind. He discusses Abul Mansur Ahmed's two books, "Amader Aina and Food Conference" and how the books urge society to lift the veil of superstitions and address our values that are based on double standards.

Abul Mansur Ahmed guided the people of Bangladesh utilizing his intellect and political skills. He contributed to the formation of the Jukto Front and helped to implement the 21 Point Demands and also assisted Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the 6Point Demand that was based on the aforementioned 21 Point Demand. Abul Mansur Ahmed's choice of weapon was his pen and his ammunition was his use of satire in his literary works. He captured the political essence as well as expressed patriotism through his satire work. His never ending optimism could be felt through the words of each of his stories. With time his work became more influential. His literature was instrumental at cleansing and restoring back people's sense of nationality and patriotism that they had lost. He dreamt of the tolerance that one day people would have to different cultures and wrote various books about it. In order to experience what true patriotism embodies, Abul Mansur Ahmed's books are a must read.

The reviewer is an occasional contributor